In the
world - Andriy Yakovych Polikopa
Born
20.09.1943
Name Day
- October 23
Consecration
- 28.06.1998
Chairs
Cathedra since 16.10.2003 Bishop of Chernihiv and Novgorod-Siverskyi Amvrosiy was born on September 20, 1943, in the village of Zalyvanshchyna, the Kalynivskyi district of the Vinnytsia region. The parents-believers wonted him to the temple. In adolescence he helped the priest in the altar.
In 1961 he graduated from the secondary school and went to Odesa to his native brother protopriest Iustin. There he visited the church, where he bore obedience, waiting for army draft. He passed his military service in Germany. Before the army and after the demobilization in 1960 he worked at the enterprises of Odesa. In 1967 he entered the Odesa Theological Seminary. He completed the full course of studied within 3 years instead of four - with honours. Being a student he bore the obedience of a subdeacon to the Metropolitan of Odesa (Archbishop at that time) Sergiy (Petrov).
In 1970-1974 he studied in the Moscow Theological Academy, in the first year he visited the icon-painting classes, the circle of the publishing department and sang in a choir. In 1972, upon completion of the 2nd year he got married. On October 8, 1972, he was ordained to the holy diaconate and on April 1, 1973 - ordained to the holy priesthood by His Holiness the Patriarch Pimen, to whom he was subdeacon at that time.
In 1974 he was awarded the pectoral cross and conferred on a degree of a Candidate of Theology for his research paper "The Holy Hierarch John the Theologian and peculiarities of His Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew". The same year he was sent for the parish service to the Kharkiv Diocese, where he was assigned a staff priest of the Holy Annunciation Cathedral and served there for 22 years (from 1974 till 1996). In 1979 he became a rural dean of the 4th deanery of Kharkiv. In 1981 he was elevated to the rank of protopriest. In 1982 he was appointed key-keeper of the Holy Annunciation Cathedral, and since 1983 he was appointed Deputy Rector of the Cathedral.
On August 29, 1987 he became a widower -his wife and his younger son Mark died in a car accident. Now he has 4 children and 10 grandchildren. The elder son (born 1973) - priest Vadim graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary, serves in the village of Sofrino of the Moscow region; his son Roman (born 1974) graduated from the same theological school and also chose the way of service to God - now he is a protodeacon at the Holy Annunciation Cathedral of Kharkiv; daughter Irene (born 1977) studied in Kharkiv; younger son Ioann (born 1986) studies at the Medical Institute.
Since 1989 he taught the Law of God in the Sunday school at the Holy Annunciation Cathedral and in the Kharkiv Theological Seminary. He was a delegate of the Local Council of Bishops of the ROC in 1990, at the same time he was elected deputy of the Kharkiv City Council. From 1991 he set to revive the Holy Trinity Church, it was completely renewed, painted, 5 domes were installed above, and a marble iconostasis was set inside. For these services he was awarded the blessing certificates by His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr and Metropolitan of Kharkiv and Bogodukhiv Nycodym.
In 1997 he was appointed rector of the Sts. Peter and Paul Church and the inspector of the Kharkiv Theological Seminary. During that time under his guidance was completed the construction and painting of the St. Basil Church. In 1998 protopriest Andriy Polikopa was tonsured a monk. On June 27, 1998 in the Synodal hall of the Kyiv Metropolis the nomination of archimandrite Amvrosiy as Bishop of Novgorod-Syverskyi, Vicar of the Chernihiv Diocese took place. On June 28, 1998 in the course of the Divine Liturgy in the Refectory Church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra he was consecrated to the episcopacy by His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr, Bishop of Khmelnytskyi and Shepetivka Anthony, Bishop of Zhytomyr and Novograd-Volyn Guriy, Bishop of Bila Tserkva and Boguslav Seraphim. On October 16, 2003 he was appointed ruling bishop of the Chernihiv Diocese.
Activity at the Cathedra
In the years of tenure of Bishop of Chernihiv Amvrosiy 100 new parishes opened in the diocese, the restoration of the premises of the diocesan administration was completed; the close cooperation with the bodies of local administration on the moral and social issues of the region was established. The dialogue is fruitful enough between the Church and the Chernihiv frontier guards, the Centre of the Railway troops, medical establishments, the State Penitentiary Department of Ukraine, and the Cossack Troop "Native home". The priests of the diocese under the direction of Vladyka patronize spiritually and materially the orphans, poor and those who stay in the places of detention.
The geography of pilgrim tours of the believers of the Chernihiv Diocese is being expanded, the sacred processions are held in the region on regular basis. Especially wide multitude they reach on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, on the feast of epiphany and on the commemoration day of St. Elias the Prophet.
In August 2006 at the initiative and support of Bishop Amvrosiy the web site of the Chernihiv Diocese was launched on the Internet (www.orthodox.com.ua).
Vladyka is an author of the book "On Eternal Life" (Chernihiv 2000), of the articles and sermons in the periodicals "Orthodox Newspaper" (Pravoslavna Hazeta) and "Trinity Bulletin" (Troitskyi Visnyk), a newspaper of the Chernihiv Diocese. The Nativity and Easter Epistles of Vladyka are printed in the regional and local press, in particular in the newspapers "Desnyanska Pravda", "Gart", "Chernigovskaya Nedelya", "Chernihivski Vidomosti", "Sem Dney" etc.
Bishop Amvrosiy is a permanent guest of the programme "Way to the Church", broadcast by the local TV. Vladyka often visits the Law College under jurisdiction of the Penal Correction Department, where he reads lectures of moral and ethical character to teachers and attendees, explains the nature and traditions of the Orthodoxy, answers the questions.
Vladyka actively cooperates with the training centre of the specialized transport service of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Ukraine, situated in Chernihiv.
His Eminence is traditionally invited to the solemn ceremony of taking oath at this training centre, as well as for conducting educational talks with the personnel assets. The administrator of the Chernihiv Diocese also gives spiritual instruction to the frontier guards. Lately Bishop Amvrosiy personally sanctifies the new or repaired premises of the frontier stations, enginery and equipment.
Bishop Amvrosiy is a permanent member of the Council of the Churches and Religious Organisations which acts at the office of Chairman of the Regional State Administration and fulfils coordination and consultation functions. The ruling bishop has involved everyone into the conciliar prayer for the return of the St. Catherine Church from the so-called Kyivan Patriarchate to the Holy Mother Church.
Awarded
Church Awards:
1982 - of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh of the 3rd degree,
1988 - of the Holy Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir of the 3rd degree,
1995 - of the Holy Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir of the 2nd degree,
2000 - "2000 years of the nativity of Christ"
2003 - of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh of the 2nd degree,
2004 - "Cossack Glory" of the 2nd degree.
Medals:
1998 - of Marshall Zhukov;
2002 - "10 years of the Kharkiv Council";
2004 - "For assistance in the state border control".
Distinctions:
2004 - "For assistance to the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine";
2005 - "Dignity and Honour".
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